A massive, slow-moving heat anomaly is rising beneath the surface of New England, and it’s challenging long-held assumptions about the region’s geological stability.
Newsweek reported that researchers from the University of Southampton in England have identified an underground feature known as the Northern Appalachian Anomaly—a 200-mile-wide patch of hot rock buried about 125 miles beneath the surface.
What’s shocking scientists is not just its size, but its location. New England has long been considered geologically “quiet,” far from the volcanic activity and plate boundaries that typically create these kinds of subterranean heat plumes.
A Mantle Wave From 100 Million Years Ago
According to Professor Tom Gernon, who led the study, the anomaly is part of a newly recognized phenomenon called a mantle wave, a slow-moving underground disturbance set off when ancient continents began to split.
This process, which began more than 90 million years ago when North America rifted from Europe near the Labrador Sea, caused heavy chunks of deep rock to “drip” downward like molasses. As these cold blobs sank into the Earth’s hotter layers, they forced hotter material upward. That rising material is now forming the Northern Appalachian Anomaly.
“These ‘drips’ migrate inland over time, away from the rift,” Gernon said. “We think this same process might explain unusual seismic patterns beneath the Appalachians.”
Why It Matters
While the anomaly is not a threat to the surface, it could help explain why parts of the Appalachian Mountains have been slowly rising for millions of years. Scientists had previously attributed this uplift to erosion or other surface changes, but this deep-seated heat plume offers a compelling new explanation.
It may also be part of a larger underground system. Another similar feature—the Central Appalachian Anomaly—was detected farther south and dates back even earlier, possibly 135 million years.
Together, these anomalies suggest a long, slow “wave” of heat moving inland beneath the eastern U.S. and hint at more hidden geological surprises buried far below our feet.
If confirmed, this discovery could reshape our understanding of plate tectonics, continental drift, and the forces still reshaping the North American landscape.
What Scientists Just Found Under New England Is Shaking Up Geology first appeared on Men’s Journal on Jul 30, 2025